[September 13, 2011] Australian gov't agrees to set up media inquiry Tweet CANBERRA, Sep 13, 2011 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- The Australian federal government on Tuesday agreed to set up an independent inquiry into Australia's media, but ruled out looking at the concentration of media ownership. Following the phone hacking scandal of Rupert Murdoch-owned News Corporation in Britain, Australia Greens and a number of Labor members of parliament (MPs) called for an inquiry to look at concentration of media ownership in Australia, as Murdoch's News Limited Australia controls 70 percent of the nation's news readership. However, federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said on Tuesday the government supported an inquiry, but saw no merit in looking at the concentration of media ownership, or in setting up a forum for politicians to complain about the coverage of politics. Greens leader Bob Brown said he was happy to defer his Senate motion for an inquiry in order to get the terms of reference right. "The need for an independent umpire, among other possible improvements, should be assessed as part of an inquiry into the media industry," Senator Brown told a Labor caucus meeting in Canberra on Tuesday. "Information is the currency of democracy and we need a review to assess whether the media industry has been devalued. "A robust inquiry which can promote media diversity and ensure the public's recourse when wrong behavior occurs would serve Australia well." Talks were underway between the Labor government and the Greens to finalize the terms of reference for the inquiry, with an announcement now expected later in the week. Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor is also working on a new privacy tort, and assessing whether the Press Council and Australian Communications and Media Authority should be given greater powers. Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott opposed the inquiry, saying that there was no need for an inquiry. "This is a naked attempt to intimidate the media and I say it again: the problems of this government are not the fault of the media; the problems of this government are its own fault," Abbott told reporters in Canberra. The British phone hacking scandal has led to the shutdown of the 168-year-old News of the World newspaper. In the wake of the scandal, News Limited Australia chairman and chief executive John Hartigan earlier announced that Murdoch's Australian newspapers will conduct a review of editorial spending over the past three years, in a move to confirm that payments made to third parties were for legitimate services. News Limited is an Australian subsidiary of Murdoch's News Corporation and owns eight of the 12 major daily newspapers in Australia, including the only national newspaper, The Australian. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]